Mary Ollivier has been appointed Acting Executive Director of the New Zealand Law Society, from 15 January.

She takes over from Christine Grice, who has been appointed a High Court Judge.

Mary Ollivier. 

Mrs Ollivier has been the Law Society’s General Manager Regulatory since the role was established following major changes to the regulation of lawyers in 2008.

She was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court in December 1991 after previously qualifying and working as a legal executive. Mrs Ollivier worked with law firms in Auckland and Wellington and overseas before moving to the Wellington District Law Society in the mid-1990s as Professional Standards Director and then Deputy Executive Director. She moved to the New Zealand Law Society in 2008 to assist with implementation of the new Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006.

Mrs Ollivier has served as Secretary of the Wellington Woman Lawyers Association and chaired the Professional Partnership Network. She has also been involved in legal regulatory matters at an international level and was appointed to the Joint Australia/New Zealand Standards Committee QR-015 to update the ISO standard Guidelines for complaints handling in organisations.

Christine Grice will be sworn in as a High Court Justice on 1 February in Wellington. She was the Law Society’s second woman President from 2000 to 2003 and was appointed Executive Director in 2009.